Šotimaa, Fort Augustus -> Skye

Loch Ness

18.07 Mõnikord on ajavahe päris tore. Eriti, kui oled harjunud kodus enne seitset ärkama ja Šotimaal tähendas see enne viit. Eks ma oleksin muidu äratuskella kasutanud aga see tegi ärkamise aja mõnusamaks. Mulle meeldib vara, ilma pildile jäävate inimesteta ja vaikuses ringi jalutada, seega seadsin hommikuudus sammud Fort Augustuse keskusesse.
Tee viis üle golfiväljaku, kus suutsin ehmatada mitut jänest. Olen olnud arusaamisel, et Iirimaal on palju lambaid. Šotimaal lootsin näha mägiveiseid aga Fort Augustuses ootas mind hoopis hulgaliselt jäneseid.


Nessie jäi järjekordselt silmamata. Lootsin küll hommikul, udu varjus, tema pead märgata aga ei olnud õnne (nagu ka eelmisel õhtul). 

Küpsetatud hommikusöök tuli eelmisel õhtul välja valida. Minu jaoks ei ole iiri/šoti/inglise/walesi *the bloody difference?* oma esimene valik, seega keedumuna, "sõdurid" ja lõhe. Yum kui maitsev lõhe. Ja toast. Valikus olid lisaks helbed, jogurtid, puuviljad.

Tagasi oma Focusesse, asendamatu Tom tööle ja Skye poole. Esimene bensupeatus ka enne teeleasumist. Igaks juhuks.

Jalasirutuse tegime Kintaili Viie Õe jalamil, kust sai alguse üks matkarada *jäi ootama*. Viis Õde on 8 kilomeetrine mäeahelik viie eristuva tipuga, millest kolm on Munrod (üle 3000 jala/914m). Viie Õe territoorium peidab ühte Suurbritannia kõrgemat koske, Glomach`i. 

Paari minuti sõidutee kaugusele jäi väike Eas-nan-Arm sild. Ajaloolise tähtsusega paik, tähistades jakobiitide ja valitsuse ühte esimest kokkupuudet. Pärast Diana Gabaldoni "Võõramaalase" *meeldis ainult esimene osa* lugemist, mis sattus minu teele pärast Šotimaa reisi kokkupanekut, tundsin reisi ette valmistades ära nii paljud nimed ning kohad.

Eilean Donan

Ja siis 13. sajandist Mackenzie ja Macrae klanndele kuulnud Eilean Donan, Šotimaa ja ilmselt ka Suurbritannia vist kõige pildistatum koht. Seekord piirdusime ainult välisvaate nautimise ja fotodega. Mackenzide seotus jakobiitidega viis kindluslossi varemetesse. Praegune restauratsioon pärineb 20. saj algusest tänu kolonelleitnant John Macrae-Gilstrap`i eestvedamisele.

Plockton

Oi, ja siis tuttavad üherealised, loomulikult taskutega, kurvilised, tõusude ning langustega, põõsastega ümbritsetud, null nähtavusega teed :), mis viisid 378 elanikuga, Hamish Macbethi vaatajatele tuttavasse kalurikülla Plocktonisse. Päikesepaiste, palmid (palmipilt ingliskeelse postituse juures :) ), mida veel suvelt oodata?

Cullen skink

 Lõunapeatuseks Plockton Inn, vanematel kohustuslik fish&chips ja mina jätkasin oma šoti söögi check-listi ja cullen skink`iga (maitsev paks supp-kilttursk, kartul ja sibul). Suppide juurde pakuti üldjuhul saiakest ning võid. 

Keskendunud sõitja, kes tegelikult täielikult naudib sõitmist

Edasitee Skye suunas kulges natuke parema nähtavusega teel. Ei, mulle tegelikult väga meeldib seal sõita. Nii suurtel kui kitsastel teedel. Skye külastamine on olnud sihiks juba pikka aega.

 Skye on oma 1656 km² Šotimaa suurim sise Hebriididesse kuuluv saar ning teisel kohal Lewis ja Harrise järel kõigist saartest. Ei jäänud puutumata jakobiitide ülestõusust.

Skye rannik koosneb poolsaartest, mis saavad alguse Cuillini mägedest, kuhu meil oli pärast saarele viiva silla ületamist suund. Auto parkimisega leidsime vist viimase koha väikeses metsaaluses parklas. Teeääred olid samuti autosid täis. Jalutuskäik allamäge ja siis jälle üles, eesmärgiks Faery Pools. 

Fairy Pools

 Fairy Pools, turismimagnet, on looduslik kosk Brittle mäeorus. Rada on täiesti olemas ja eksimisvõimalus puudub. Legend lubab 7 sekundit pea külma vee all hoidjatele igavest noorust.
Inimeste massid vees suplemas ning mõlemas suunas liikumas ja päikesepaistet nautimas (Šotimaal pidi ju vahetpidamata sadama ;) )Loomulikult saab sealt alguse üks Cuillini mägedesse viiv rada.

Huvitaval kombel ei nautinud mu vanemad väikese tõusuga tagasiteed auto juude.

Portree

Edasi liikudes möödusime Sligachani vanast sillast ning õhtuks viis meid tee Skye suurimasse linna, Portree`sse. Portree elanike arv jääb 2300 kanti. Väga mõnus, värvikirev sadamalinn. 

Beef&ale pie

Kaheks järgmiseks ööks Braeside B&B. Ennast sisse seadnud käisime jalutamas. 
Õhtusöögiks sain tohutu beef ale piruka Portree Central restoranis. Pärast söömist jätsin vanemad puhkama ja uudistasin omapea. Avastasin ühe matkaraja alguse ja väikese kose. 
Ja kõrvad jutisid mind harjutavate torupillimängijateni :)

Torupillimängijad

18th July. Sometimes the time difference is quite nice. Specially if you are used to waking before 7am and in Scotland it means before 5am. I would have used the alarm but this made waking that much easier. I love to wonder early in the morning, enjoying silence and the lack of people so I made my way to Fort Augustus.

Fort Augustus

The track led me across a golf field where I managed to surprise several hares. I have come to think there are many sheep in Ireland and highland cattle in Scotland but Fort Augustus waited me with loads of hares.

No luck with spotting Nessie this time either. I did hope that early in the morning, in fog, I would see her head. 

We had to order our cooked breakfast the previous night. I don`t quite prefer irish/scottish/english/welsh *the bloody difference?* breakfast if there are other options so I chose a boiled egg, soliders and salmon. Oh, that delicious salmon. Andtoast. We could also choose from cereals, fruit, juice.

Back to our Focus, with my irreplaceable Tom and towards Skye. First I refueled. Just in case.


Our first stop was at the base of the Five Sisters of Kintail where a hiking track stayed waiting for next time. the Five Sisters are a high ridge of about 8 kilometres with 5 distinctly pointed summits, three of which are Munros (above 3000 ft). The Five Sisters also hide one of the highest waterfalls in Great Britain, the Falls of Glomach.

Eas-nan-Arm

A couple of minutes` drive away is Eas-nan-Arm bridge. Historically important landmark where jacobites had one of their first oppositions with the Goverment forces. After reading   Outlander  series by Diana Gabaldon*I only liked the first book*, the book that found its way to my life after planning our Scotland trip, I recognised to many names and places when reading about the history of the places we visited.

Eilean Donan

And then Eilean Donan, probably the most photographed sight in Scotland and quite possible Great Britan. It belonged to the clan Mackenzie and their allies clan Macrae in the 13th century. This time we only enjoyed the outside. Mackenzie`s connection to the jacobites led to destruction of the castle. Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the ruins in 1911 and dedicated the next 20 years to reconstructiont castle.

Plockton

And then, oh the familiar single-track roads, of course with passing places, bendy, with rises and falls, bodrered with bushes, with zero visibility roads :) that led to fishinga village called Plockton that is familiar for Hamish Macbeth viewers. Sunshine, palm trees, what else to expect from summer?

Fish&chips

For lunch we visited Plockton Inn, compulsory fish&chips for my parents and I tried another dish from my Scottish food check-list: cullen skink (quite tasty thick soup with haddock, potato and onions). Usually we were served soups with a bun and butter.

The onwards road to Skye had slightly better visibility. No, seriously, I really enjoy driving there. Wide roads, narrow roads. Skye had been one of my dream destinations for quite some time.

The track to Fairy Pools

Skye with its 1656 km² is the biggest island of the Inner Hebrides and the second largest island of Scotland after Lewis&Harrise. It was not untouched by the jacobite uprising.

Its coastline is a series of peninsulas and bays radiating out from a centre dominated by the Cuillin hills where we also made our way. We must have found the last parking pace in the tiny lot in the woods. Of course people parked on the roads also. That would have meant turning around in that narrow road. An easy walk down the hill and then up towards Fairy Pools.

Fairy Pools

Fairy Pools, a tourist magent, is a natural falls in the Glen of Brittle. It has a decent track and no chance of getting lost. The legend promises eternal youth to people who hold their heads under water for 7 seconds. Numerous people taking a bath, walking both directions and enjoying sunshine. (Wasn`t it supposed to constantly rain in Scotland? ;) )And naturally a hiking track to Cuillin hills starts from there. For some reason my parents didn`t enjoy the slightly uphill walk back to our car. 

Sligachan old bridge

Moving forward we stopped at Sligachan old bridge and then moved on to the biggest town in Skye, Portree. 

Portree

Portree has the population of about 2300 people. It is a charming, vibrant town. For next two night we were to stay at Braeside B&B.

Beef and ale pie

Settling ourselves in, we took a walk and had our dinner in Portree Central Restaurant. I chose (the enormous) beef and ale pie. 

After dinner I left my parents to rest and wondered by myself. I discovered a walking path and a falls. And then trusted my ears that led me to bagpipers rehearsing. That sight I didn`t want to enjoy alone so I called my parents to join me. 

Bagpipers